Before the Second Test (INDIA TOUR OF ENGLAND 2021)

The Big Picture

 A century from Joe Root, fifer from Bumrah, low scores from Zak Crawley and the ageless Anderson's dismissal of Virat Kohli have already marked the beginning of the mindboggling and exciting India vs England test series and the World Test Championship 2021-23.

So, there has been a lot to observe in the first test, a lot to improve for the second test and a lot to come with the second test. As a team, England faulted in many areas like slip catching, batting at the top of the order. However, the biggest positives for them have been James Anderson's consistent and threatening bowling and Joe Root's consistency at the fourth place, a spot from where he has kept the team together with the help of small partnerships. However, their performance as a whole batting unit has been poor as well as the runs from the tail-enders like Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad have dried up although Sam Curran has been playing his part quite well. In the bowling, they have all but one bases covered, that is the lack of a spinner which truly haunted them against the likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and, surprisingly, Jasprit Bumrah.

India would be the happier side of the two as they have managed to do the best possible. For the first time, it looked like, from an opener to a tail-ender, they were a combined batting powerhouse, keeping the scoreboard consistently ticking. KL Rahul stormed back to form and marked his comeback as a test opener, probably leaving behind, the likes of Mayank Aggarwal and Shubhman Gill. KL Rahul was among runs as were Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah. It was one of those very few times when the tail added runs metaphorically compared to gold dust. Leaving out Ashwin was a very brave decision but it paid out for the tourists. Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj, the two young guns, did well to continue the good work after Bumrah gave an outstanding start to India in the first innings of England. Shami's ability of bowling outswingers continually gave him success in the end after he beat the batsmen for the outside edge innumerable times. Rishabh Pant's and Ravindra Jadeja's attacking mindsets were clear and they added quickfire runs. Inclusion of Ravindra Jadeja over Ravichandran Ashwin helped in batting but the worry was Jadeja was not able to take wickets and was taken for plenty.

Let us discuss the talking points-

Who Can Replace Zak Crawley or Dan Lawrence?

In the recent times, Dan Lawrence and Zak Crawley have been one of the biggest disappointments for England. While Crawley has been out to swinging deliveries while Dan Lawrence has mostly succumbed to poor shot selection as he got beaten by straight deliveries in the first test after getting starts. One of them might lose their spot to Ollie Pope, who has recovered from his injury. Another comeback is on the cards as Haseeb Hameed might be recalled but this time in the upper middle order after brilliant performance in the practice match. He deserves an opportunity but it would be interesting to see how the management views his performance.

Will India Stick with the Same Opening Combination

While the top and the middle order has failed to deliver with the bat, the pressure of making runs has slowly started shifting to the lower order and the openers to score big runs while scoring at a high strike rate also. While Rohit Sharma and Cheteswar Pujara departed after getting starts, Virat Kohli was dismissed for a first ball duck by the Sultan of Reverse Swing. It would be important for them to back the same combination as Rohit is in good touch and KL Rahul played a handy first innings while striking big blows in the second. However, if they would like to try Abhimanyu Eswaran or give another chance to Mayank Agarwal. It could be a brave move in order to find openers for different conditions or want to find a replacement for injuries.

Jonny Bairstow's Poor Form Continues

England's batting order continues with Jonny Bairstow failing to deliver a big score yet another time. Just like Dan Lawrence and Zak Crawley, he got off to starts but the senior player needs to step up while the others are struggling. He has already had bad records against India and the wicketkeeper-batsman has not been able to justify his position once again. There is a possibility that England play an extra bowler since Joe Root is in form and the tail usually contributes. They can try Craig Overton. However, they have a bowling all-rounder in Chris Woakes who can later enter the team when he returns from his injury. 

Emergence of Sam Curran

Sam Curran has been a man who cannot be left out. He provided some crucial runs in the lower order and also bowled some crucial spells. He did his best that the visitors do not take advantage of Stokes' absence. He was although not among the wickets column. However, his persistent lines and lengths troubled the opponent batsmen and set up the wickets taken by Broad, Anderson et all. 

Ollie Robinson and James Anderson?

Since Stuart Broad was not among wickets and Ollie Robinson taking a fifer, the latter could well replace James Anderson's partner in crime as the second choice bowler for the hosts if Broad fails to deliver in a few more occasions and Craig Overton can get a well-deserved chance.

Cheteswar Pujara's Problem

Cheteswar Pujara's inability to score runs could once more cost them the match. He got a low score in the first innings when a big one could have seen the visitor home on the 4th day itself. In the second innings, he did not get a chance to prove himself but his aggregate of only 16 runs off 29 balls may threaten him his spot in the team in the years to come, considering the fact that the captain has already talked about the eager to score runs.

Ravindra Jadeja's and the Tail's Onslaught

Few would have thought that, on the big day, the Indian tail would deliver. Jasprit Bumrah's contribution added to the team's pleasure and lead along with meaty blows from Siraj and Shami. In addition to this, Jadeja's attacking mindset did wonders as he registered a half century off just a little more than 80 balls. Aggressive approach by the lower order and tail was also mixed with a 25 off 20 balls of Rishabh Pant who played his game and part.